


in which aziraphale has ridiculously shiny wings and crowley defends the honor of spiders

by the_nerd_youre_looking_for



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Wing Grooming, Wings, and here we are, bruh it's just cute, crowley is a fan of charlotte's web, demons do everything for the vibe, im not a fan of color morality so i shook it up a bit, including my own headcanons on wings, no angst we write stupid fluffy shit like men, they have a chat on the good old days before the fall, they have an aesthetic to uphold down there, they just chillin boys, this all started because i had 1 (one) headcanon and here we are, zira is creeped out by spiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 19:43:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20087731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_nerd_youre_looking_for/pseuds/the_nerd_youre_looking_for
Summary: There are two main differences between angel and demon wings.One is that demon's wings are often better groomed than angel's wings. Pride is one of the big sins after all, and what demon doesn't like causing a bit of Envy around the office?The second is that angel's wings sparkle and shine like some sort of precious gemstone. Demon's wings, which used to be just as bright and colorful as any other angels', are dull and dreary remnants of what they used to look like. Most demons don't quite mind it. It adds to the vibe, they like to say.





	in which aziraphale has ridiculously shiny wings and crowley defends the honor of spiders

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first GO fic so be nice to me gang. Also if the formatting is weird, I'm just getting the hang of how things work so Be Nice To Me

Wing grooming, for angels, is an act of great trust. Wings are very sensitive and delicate things and it's very easy to break a feather or brush them the wrong way. Done correctly, it feels like the equivalent of getting a nice back rub. If done incorrectly, it can be very painful. This is why most angels like to do it themselves, since who better to know their way around a pair of wings than the owner of them? For most angels, that's perfectly fine and does the trick. For others, however, it gets a bit tricky to reach some of the feathers situated at awkward angles and strange places. This is where trust comes in, as such a troubled angel will need to ask another to help them with it. Since the whole business with wings is extremely finicky, most will ask a close friend or a lover to please take a moment out of their schedule to come and straighten out these feathers for them. Being asked to groom another angel's wings is a very sweet and often emotional moment, as it means they're being trusted enough to correctly make their friend's wings, which are very delicate might I remind you, look neat and presentable. Angels generally don't care about having their wings look beautiful, exactly, but they do have a certain standard. After all, Heaven is a very professional environment. Showing up with messy wings is just like showing up to a meeting with your hair all frizzy. It's embarrassing for you, for a start, and all your coworkers really can't take you seriously if you can't even take a minute to brush your hair a bit. In fact, wings are regulated under Heaven's dress code, along with proper attire and acceptable amounts of jewelry.

Demons, however, have a different way of going about it. For one, one would never ask another demon to groom their wings if their life depended on it. You never know if they'd pull feathers or make them all crooked or splash paint on them. It's a real nightmare, honestly. So, it's a solitary task, wing grooming, and it's one most demons take a great amount of pride in. Pride is one of the main sins after all, and it's a big one down in Hell. This is why demons tend to have better groomed wings than angels do, along with liking to cause a certain amount of Envy that their wings look very nice and probably better than yours. If a demon asked another to perhaps straighten out one or two feathers while they're just sitting around like a lump on a log, it would be admitting one of two things. One, that they don't particularly care what happens to their wings, and two, that someone else could do it better than them. Pride is a very big deal down in Hell. After one has Fallen from divinity into what can be nicely referred to as the worst basement imaginable, it does one a little good, actually, to have a bit of Pride about them. Envy is not as encouraged as Pride, but it does lead the way for some mischief and nasty deeds, so it's not really discouraged either. It's just rather unpleasant to feel in the short term. There's no such regulations of wing appearance in Hell as there is in Heaven, so you'll find all sorts down there. There's a gloomy minority who don't bother with grooming anymore, but no one really likes those demons much anyway. Far too gloomy. Gloominess, actually, is regulated down in Hell.

Despite the differences in upkeep, demon and angel wings aren't really that different. They all come in lots of different colors and patterns (Gabriel's are a lovely lilac color that goes nicely with his eyes. Hastur's are a green color that looks a bit like boogers) and the feather placement is roughly the same for both of them. There are only two very major differences. The first, which has been already discussed, is that demon wings are simply better groomed. Pride, Envy, all of that bad stuff. Sometimes it even causes a spark of Wrath which turns into a fistfight at a meeting about fixing the pipes so they leak more. The second is that angel wings are much brighter than demon wings. If an angel catches their wings in the right sort of light, they'll sparkle like they're made out of gemstones. It causes a few problems in bright lights (one notable occasion was when Aziraphale and his white wings nearly blinded Michael when he was just trying to take a nice afternoon stroll) but mostly it looks lovely. Demon wings are still the same color as they were pre-Fall, but duller and more bland versions of what they used to be. Most demons don't really mind the change. It fits the overall vibe of Hell, they'll say. 

Even though their wings are very similar, any self-respecting angel would shrink from the idea of grooming with a demon. Any demon, self-respecting or not, would shrink from the idea of grooming with anyone, but especially angels. But there is one notable pair, an angel and a demon, who do groom each other, and have been for millennia. At first Aziraphale and Crowley did it out of convenience, since they were they only ones around. Gradually, it became a show of trust and affection for the both of them. 

"D'you know what I was thinking?" Crowley said, on one such occasion. He was sat on the edge of his bed with his back to Aziraphale, who was currently scanning his black wings for any feathers out of place or broken. 

"What were you thinking, dear?" Aziraphale responded. They didn't usually talk much during their groomings, since it took a bit of concentration to correctly groom both wings. Demon and angel wings are rather large, after all. However, they did usually manage to make some light conversation to pass the time.  
"I was thinking I miss my old wings. Back before the whole..." Here Crowley makes a hand gesture that resembles someone jumping off of a diving board. Both he and Aziraphale know full well this is not how any demons Fell, it's still fairly funny. At least to them. 

"Do you remember that? I'm sure they were lovely. They still are, if you ask me." 

Remembering things before the Fall is a bit tricky for both parties. For demons, anything done before the actual Falling is a bit muddy. They might remember what they were doing up in Heaven or talking to somebody else, but the details of anything before the Great War are fuzzy. Angels can remember the time before as well as they can anything else, except for any memories they might've had with angels who Fell later on. Those interactions are also a bit fuzzy around the edges.  
"Ehh, a little. I remember my wings looked really cool back then. Still black, but a darker shade, with little bits of light here and there. Looked like the night sky. I was rather proud of them, I know that much." Crowley smiled and closed his eyes, to better see those distant memories of Heaven and divinity. The color of his wings was a dull black, like charcoal. They weren't much to look at, but they added to his vibe. 

Aziraphale chuckled as he plucked off a few broken feathers and reached for the brush. "Well, looks like you were already committed to Pride even back then." He teased. "I think I might recall seeing you around, back in the day. I bet you stirred up some Envy, even, too." 

"Yeah, I was a right prick, probably, showing my flashy wings off to anyone who walked by. Bet they hated me up there." Crowley laughed. It was always a bit difficult to recall how one acted as an angel, so he simply imagined him being like his present self. He wasn't wrong. "And I bet you did some sinning back then, if our lunch dates are anything to go off of." 

Zira hummed and fluffed the last of Crowley's down. "I'm sure I did. There was definitely some Envy at one certain angel with very cool wings-" Crowley laughed at that "-and at the others, higher up, that were more involved with Creation. I'm afraid I didn't do much in that department." He shook his head and put the brush down. "Up now, dear boy, you're all finished." 

Crowley nodded and stretched before sliding off the bed. Aziraphale took his place at the edge and stretched out his wings. "Good thing the windows are shut, I might have gone blind." he muttered, running his hands over Zira's primaries and checking for crooked feathers. 

"That was once, and I apologized a great deal to Michael, you know that!" 

"That I do. Doesn't mean it's not funny." He paused to fix a patch of feathers that were severely out of place. "Really, angel, do you ever groom yourself? Anyway, what did you do with Creation? You invent food or something? Tartan, maybe?" 

"I believe I was in a few brainstorming sessions for a few insect species, but that's about it, I'm afraid." Zira grinned at the demon's teasing. "They didn't at all take my suggestions on spiders, now look at them. Creepy little buggers." 

"I like spiders. Haven't you ever seen Charlotte's Web? Or at least read it, maybe then you'd be nicer to the spiders." Crowley had started on brushing Aziraphale's wings now. "Honestly, I ought to put my sunglasses back on just to do this. I'm literally about to go blind right now." 

The angel huffed and tried to act annoyed with his companion. "Really, must you keep bringing that incident up? Michael bugs me about it enough as it is. And no, I haven't read it. I've heard of the book, naturally, but it's a tad too modern for my tastes." 

"I do have to keep bringing it up. It's funny. You should read it, you'd like it. Then maybe you could appreciate spiders. They do no harm, really, just chilling in their webs and eating flies." Crowley finished his grooming of Aziraphale's wings and sat next to him on the bed. "Now there's an insect who knows how to live. What was your suggestion for them? Less eyes?" 

Zira smiled warmly at Crowley and wrapped an arm around the demon's shoulders and brightened when he felt him lean into the touch. "Yes, actually. Some of the others thought it was a good old laugh to give them the same number of eyes as legs. Now, I thought, there's no need to do that, but they just called me a spoilsport and went on with the design." 

"I think we need to watch Charlotte's Web. So you can understand spiders. And pigs." Crowley grabbed Aziraphale's hand and rubbed his thumb over the angel's knuckles. It's little soft things like these that he'd deny enjoying if he were anywhere but with Aziraphale. 

"Maybe we can. I don't see why understanding farm animals and arachnids is important, but I might give it a go." 

"You should." Crowley closed his eyes and was silent a moment. "D'you think we knew each other? Before, you know. It all went to Hell." 

Aziraphale smiled as the demon's word choice and considered the question a moment. "Can't say for sure. I'm sure we must've ran into each other at some point or another, don't you think?" His free hand went to tangle itself in Crowley's red locks. He made a quiet noise of contentment and buried his face in his angel's shoulder. "Besides, we know each other now, don't we my dear?" 

"That we do, angel. You know me, just wondering." 

The fact of the matter is, they did know each other before Eden and before the Fall. Not in the way you know a friend or someone you love or a family member, but in the way you know a coworker who is at the water fountain with you sometimes. Before the Fall, the pair would run across each other or make jokes during meetings since they might have been the only two bored out of their minds about the schematics of ladybug wing patterns or whatever it was that week. However, that isn't very important. At least not to them. They've had 6,000 years to be friends and lovers, what are a few extra tacked on? 

They know each other now, don't they?

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway, could you imagine a demon who had pink wings? I don't think they'd be really happy with that.


End file.
